TACO BELL BUYING, FIELD ADS TO FCB

In a move to beef up local marketing efforts, Taco Bell Corp. has awarded field marketing and national and local media buying, valued at $200 million, to Foote, Cone & Belding, the agency that lost the fast-food chain's entire account three years ago.

With the latest shift, the only element of the account that FCB*does not have is national creative, which TBWA Chiat/Day, Venice, Calif., has handled since March.

The ad work will involve FCB's network of offices across the U.S., as well as national and local media buying through TN Media, a unit of FCB parent True North Communications. Media planning will be handled out of San Francisco.

The move had been expected (AA, Oct. 27). Taco Bell's promotion business remains at Wunderman Cato Johnson, New York, a unit of Young & Rubicam.

FCB LOST TACO BELL IN '94

FCB lost the Taco Bell account in 1994 to Bozell Worldwide, Costa Mesa, Calif., and Richards Group, Dallas. A year later, Taco Bell consolidated at Bozell, which then lost the creative portion to TBWA Chiat/Day. Field marketing and media had remained at Bozell.

Bozell, Jacobs, Kenyon & Eckhardt, parent of Bozell and BJK&E Media, is being acquired by True North. TN Media is expected to merge with BJK&E Media.

Vada Hill, chief marketing officer for Taco Bell, said in announcing the move that FCB was selected because of its "knowledge of the brand and the fact that the agency has committed to making a significant investment in quickly building an experienced field agency team."

GAYLE TO HEAD FCB TEAM

Bob Gayle, a former executive with Bates Worldwide, New York, where he led field marketing for Wendy's International, will head up the field marketing account out of FCB's Santa Ana, Calif., office, with the title of senior VP-managing director.

Barbara Raeuber, VP-media account director, will head the media buying, and Chicago President Ron Bess will be responsible for managing the network of FCB resources on the business.

FCB and Bozell were the only participants in the final review, a Taco Bell spokeswoman said.

Mr. Gayle was initially hired by Bozell in an effort to keep the Taco Bell account. His shift to FCB helped it land the business, an executive familiar